The shift to lower-priced devices across categories will propel the combined worldwide shipments of personal computers, tablets and mobile phones to increase by 4.5 per cent in 2013, as per a report by research firm Gartner.
While shipments of PCs are expected to decline, tablets and mobile phones would continue the growth momentum.
In 2013, 2.32 billion units of these devices are expected to be sold.
Tablet shipments are expected to grow 42.7 per cent this year to 184 million units, while mobile phone shipments may rise by 3.7 per cent to 1.8 billion units. Premium tablets are faced with continued price decline in the 7-inch form factor as a larger number of consumers prefer smaller form factors when it comes to content consumption, Gartner said.
“Continuing on the trend we saw last year, we expect this holiday season to be all about smaller tablets as even the long-term holiday favorite — the smartphone — loses its appeal,” said Carolina Milanesi, Research Vice President at Gartner. Worldwide shipments of traditional PCs (desk-based and notebook) are forecast to total 303 million units in 2013, an 11.2 per cent decline from 2012.
Android will remain the leading device operating system and is on course to account for 38 per cent of shipments in 2013, the research suggested.